Garage door opener



June 9, 1953 G. E. REED GARAGE DOOR OPENER 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March7, 1951 Q\ MN IN VENTOR QV Qi S N .Ilmmllkf M.

ATTORNEYS June 9, 1953 G. E. REED GARAGE DooE OPENER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed March 7, 1951 ma me. me

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ATTORNEYS June 9, 1953 G. E. lREED 2,641,457

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GARAGE DOOR OPENER Filed March '7, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR leorge E. R ee ci c f rw. n

ATTORNEYS Patented June 9, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,641,467 KGARAGE DOOR OPENER y George E. Reed, Pontiac, Mich.

Application March 7j, 1951, Serial No. 214,285 i (Cl. 26S-'75)` 1 Claim.

This invention relates to door opening devices, and more particularly ahydraulic door opening means having a self-contained circulating pumpunit controlled by a semi-automatic switch capable of remote controloperation. While vthe present invention is applied to a garage door itwill be appreciated that my improved ldoor operating construction andcontrol means are applicable to other types of doors. v

It is therefore among the objects of this invention to provide anelectrically Operated hydraulic door lift and release means operativethrough an operating cycle to an Open position having an automaticcut-oirl and a release valve operative to effect closure of the door'.y*

Another object is tO provide a durable, low cost, easily installedelectric driven door opener.

A further object is to provide a simple, low- Other Objects thanrthosestated will appearv upon an understanding of my invention gained fromthe following 4description when read in conjunction with the drawings inwhichv like numbersY refer tO like parts inthe different-views.

In the drawings: l l Figure 1 is a sideV elevation showing the presentinvention operatively connectedA to a garage door.

Figure 2 is a side elevation detail showing one lift cylinder,the'control switch and the power unit.

Figure 3 is a detail section of the pump unit taken on line 3--3 ofFigure 2.

Figure 4 is an elevationy in partial section ltaken on line 4-4 ofFigure 1. f

Figure 5 is a schematic view of the electric 2 circuit.

Figure 6 is a partial section taken on line 6-'6 of Figure 3. f

Figure 7 is a partial section taken on line I--l of Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a detail section of the lift unit piston head construction.l

Referring now in detail to the drawings the device I0 of this inventionis adapted for use with a door II swingingly mounted in a dooi openingI2 ofv a garage I3, or other building.

The building I3 isv of conventional. construc-l 2 I6 extends. Disposedat the top of the door opening is a head stop I'I engageable with thetop portion I8 of the`door II.

in cooperation with a similar bottom vstrip 20' provides a weather sealmeans effective whenthe ydoor is closed.

The door II is dependently hung' between the door jambs I5 by pivotplates 2| iixedly attached'. to opposite edges of the door by suitablescrews 22 and pivotally mounted on suitable bolts' or lag screws 23,carried bythe jambs, kwith the plates spaced inwardly of the'jambs bysuitable' bushings 23a.v Each ofthev plates 2I' are formed generallyquadrilateraL- asbest shown in Figure 2, with the one side 24 secured tothe 'door' II ias at 2Ia' and are formed withfa pivotor aperture 25disposed adjacent the top edge l2Ia and spaced Thuslyna pivot point'inwardly of the door Il. l 25 is provided at each side of the door IIwith .said pointlsbeing 'offset inwardly from ther vertical centerline`of the door and vdisposed above its horizontal centerline so as toeffect a constantv tendency for the door to swing to a closedposi-ltion, as shown by dotted lines in Figure l. Spaoed units Zlat each's'ideof the door I I as hereinafter explained.

Each of thegjack units 2'I is provided with a cylinder 28 having adependent ear 29 adapted' for pivoted mounting on the face of anadjacent door jamb I5 by a suitable bolt or lag screw as at 3U having aheaded end 30ab protruding'fror'nl the jamb I5.V The ear 29 ispositioned outward# ly fromthe jamb I5 tO provide suitable clearance forpassage of cylinder 28 pastthe jamb' by a suitablebushing 3| carried bybolt end 30a; an elongated tension plate or bar 32 is disposed outsideOf each vjack unit 2'I as aiixed connectorl extending'between bolt end30a and lag screw, 23 The weight of 'the' ateach side of the door. AdoorI I acts upwardly on lag screw 23 and downwardly on boltA 30. Thevtension plate in this manner forms a strut or brace 32 connectingy be'tween the pivot points formed by bolts 23 and 3'0'1 which may bedescribed'as upper and lower points respectively, so that the bendingmoment upward Of the upper subtracts from the greater bending' momentdownward ,of vtheglower, and thus acting to' cancel out or greatlyreduce the ystress on both Extending alongthe edges ofthe door II areflexible strips I9 which 3 the pivots 23 and 38. Suitable spacers Slaare provided under each end of each tension plate 32 to space it free of'the jack cylinders 28 and allow for free movement of the cylinder pastthe plates.

The cylinder 28 of each unit 21, as best illustrated by Figure 2, isformed with a closed bottom end 33 tapped as at 34 to provide a fluidinlet 35 thereinto. Each cylinder 28 is formed with an opposite end- 36that opens' toward plate 2| to receive a piston rod 3'! which is fittedwith a slightly loose piston head 31a. Below 37a is a self-aligningfloating cup 38 preferably formed of rubber-like material so as to actas a continuous seal for the iiuid pressure created in the cylinder 28which, if any, is always upward in direction. This floating arrangementof the sealing cup 38 allows the door II to be lifted by hand withoutthe necessity of pulling the sealing cup. In this manner' any tendencyof the pistonto suck air into the cylinder is eliminatedr. With thepiston rod 3l freely movable, the door II is adapted for hand lifting incase manual manipulation is desired for any reason.A

Around the piston rod 31 is fitted a circular guide member 39v removablysecured as by thread engagement at 40 with the end 35 of cylinder 28.Each of the rods 31 is provided with a free end NI adapted for' rockableboltedl attachment to plate` 2I at pivot point 28. While I havedescribed one liftv unit- 21 with its connecting pivot plate 21| indetail it will be readily lunderstood that a similar unit and mountingat each side ofthe. door I I1', asv b'estillustrated by Fig. fi, willprovide a smooth even lift which is highly desirable. y

Fluid pressure' to the lift jacks 2'1 is supplied by an operating unit42'. The operating unit G2 isr preferably mounted at onel of the doorjambs I5 slightly inside' of the door pivots and is preferably disposedon the car drivers side of the door opening. This location aids insimplifying the automatic switchl cut-off at the top of the door lif-tand of connecting the drivers yard control, as hereinafter explained.-The unit 42 is` conveniently formed with a commonA mount 43Y adaptedfor' bolted attachment as at 44 to a suitable vertical surfacedisposedadjacent the doortop I8. Weld attached to the commonmount 43,als best illustrated in Fig. 3,y is a pump housing 45'. Thev housing t5is provided-*with a removable cover I5l held in place by suitable screwmeans as at l1. The one side 48 disposedaway from the' door opening I2is apertured asat 49 to receive the shaft 58- of an electric motor 5I.The motor 5I' is secured to the mounts@ by a suitable number of bolts5'2- and providesv power suitable for operation of the fluid' pump ashereinafter described.

Mounted onshaft 5I) andl secured thereto by a set screw 53, or the like,is a crankshaft 54. formed asl an extension of the motor shaft forrotation within the housing t5. Crankshaft 54- is formed with a crankpinportion 55r eccentrically rotative relative to' the axial centerline ofshaft v Suspendingly mounted on the crankshaft 5e at each' side' ofv thecrankpin 55 and in. spaced relationr to eachy other are a pair of`elongated pump support plates 56. The plates E. are of sufficientlength. to provide a pair of top ends 51. disposedl just under the cover45 and. a pair of bottom ends 58 spaced adjacent. the housing bottomwall59.- VSecured between the bottom ends 58 by a pair of stay bolts or pinsE8 is a pump base 6I formed as a metal block bored to provide a throughchannel 62 and formed with an upstanding nipple 63 bored to provide apassage 64 communicating with the through channel.

Fitted over the nipple 83 is a uid pump cylinder 68. The cylinder 6e ispreferably formed as a piece of thin wall brass tubing which can beeasilyburnished to a close sliding rit with a piston 5l' mounted'thereir-i,r can then be pressed onto nipple 63. Nipple t3 is formedwith an outside diameter suiiicient to effect a tight pressed-on fitwith cylinder 6b. This type of construction saves much time over theordinary method of lapping a piston to a close t in a cylinderfconventional construction. The fasteningV method is much simpler thanbolts .or threads. The thinness of the tube is essential for easy'burnishing, and for easy and secure press fitting over the nipple 53.

Piston 61 is formed with an upwardly open-l ing socket 6B adapted toreceive the radiused enddownward movementy of piston E1 against the urgeof spring 'I3 on rotation of the` crankpin to effect cam-like engagementofthe crankpin with yoke 1I. Spring 'I3 is dimensioned to maintain therodI i0 in constant engagement between the pin 55 and the piston bl.With the 'spring action attained by the aforedescribed mounting of thepiston and cylinder, a simplicity and tightness is effected with noclose fitting of parts being required; whereas the standard con-kstruction of a bolted connecting rod and a cap fitted on a piston wristpin is complicated and requires many close and accurate nts betweenthese Various parts. A further advantage of the present construction isthat a smaller piston is possible than could be usedif a wrist pin wererequired. The utility 0f my construction is to effect an inexpensivesmall capacity, high pressure pump which may be driven by a smallelectric motor. n

The channel E2 of the pump base 6I is threaded at one side lof passage64 as at 'i4 to receive an exhaust valve I5 having a movable member I6that acts as a iiapper inA a one-Way valve structure to close ofi theexhaust passage "I8 formed in a seat member 19. The vother end ofchannel 62 as at 83 is formed tohprovide a receiver for an inlet valvepress-fitted therein and pref-.

erabl-y staked in place. The inlet valve is formed with a circular valveseat member 88 that.y faces.

inwardly lofV the block 6I. A movable inlet valve member 8' I isdisposed`inwardly of said seat and a coiled compression spring 82engages member 8`I` to urge it to a normally seated position. The.

inlet valve eflected is adaptedto provide ar check valve operation so asto allow for passage lof fluid through channel 62. into the pump undersuction of the piston 67 on its spring urged upward movement, and toprevent return iiowgof fluid from the pump on its downwardv movementeffected by the can action of cranlpin 55.

The exhaust stung 15 is fvbrmed with a threadi.,

The piston 5l isy 5 ed outlet 84 adapted to receive" asuitable pipefitting 85 of a pump connecting tube formed generally U-shaped andadapted to conduct fluid upwardly from passage 62 under pressure. Tube86 is provided with a suitable top fitting 81.

Disposed between the top ends 51 of the pump support plates 50 andsecured thereto by suitable pin means |08 is a fluid distribution block88 having a horizontal passage 89 adapted to threadingly receive a checkvalve 90 secured tov fitting 81. Check valve 90 is provided with asharply tapered passage closing member 9| urged outwardly of block 88 bya coiled compression spring 92 disposed between it anda stop 03 formedin passage 89 and isf-adapted to eifecty non-return of uid pumpedthrough tube r80.v

Opening outwardly from passage 89 into the sump chamber 95 formed inhousing 45 is a pressure relief valve 94 for operation at -apredetermined fluid pressure to effect return of excess fluid to thesump. The relief valve is of conventional constructionand is alsooperative torelieve thesystem from developing anexcesspressure shouldaction of the lift .units 21 be unduly resisted as in the case of doorI| being locked, orr frozen shut. f

Blockv88 is formed witha pair of outlet passages 9'0 and 01 adapted toreceivesuitabl'e outlet fittings 98 and 99 extended through a, suitableslot |52 formed in top 45 and fitted on the endsr of fluid ducts and |0|with each one of said ducts communicating with a respective inlet 35 ofthe lift units 21 by suitable piping and flexible connections not shown.4Block 08 is also apertured downwardly to receive a releaseor controlvalve |02 disposed oppositely ,from` fittingy 98. Control vvalve |02 isprovidedwith a borey |03 communicating with passage 09 having 1 anupwardly opening seat |04. A valve stem slightly less in diameterthanbore |03' is slid# ingly disposed therein an'dis formed with an en'-larged tapered top end l|00 seatable on seat |04 to normally close thebore against passage of fluid. The diameter of bore |03 and the outsidediameter of stem |05 are proportioned to provide the rate of ow of uidfrom the lift units 21 necessary to effect the speed of door 'closuredesired which in most cases is a-relatively slowvmovef ment wherebyslamming of the door is avoided.r

In order to assure that thestem end |05 will properly seat I-providearc-ompression springf|01 having one end engagingthereagainstwith its opposite end bearing .againsttheinner end 'ofoutlet fitting y98. The valve stern `|05 is of sufcientlength'to extendAprotrudingly fromthe valve body for contact by a cam operated arm |32connected to a control means as hereinafter eX- plained.

It is to be noted that the closure members of check valve 00, pressurerelief valve 94, and fluid release valve |02 are steeply tapered, havingan included angle of approxi-mately 30. This `steep taper causes thevalves to seat easily and hold securely so that there is no leakage whenthe door II is in the open position. Any leakage would be troublesomecausing the door to close when not desired. Also the steeply taperedvalves do not require lapping to make them fit tightly.

The entire pump assembly just described is oatingly carried by thecrankshaft 54 for normal operation which provides for perfect alignmentof the pump assembly with its driving means. For purposes of safety andto provide for the absorption of pump torque reaction and starting loadsI provide a loose fitting connection between the pump support 56 and thehousing 45 by'inean's of a torquepin |09 mounted transverselyi'offthehousing :to pass through aperture IIO formed through the block 88 landIsupport ends 51. The diameter of aperture I0 is relatively largerelative 'to pin I 09 to provide a loose flt therebetween so as not tointerfere with the normal alignment of the pump with the crankshaft 54.`Such construction'lallows 'for full y'utilization of the power outputofthe motor resulting inv lower production and operation costs as arelatively smal1 motor can be used to meet the power requirements of theinstant device. i Attached tothe housing 45 is a switch or controlboxv III preferably formed of sheet metal and welded to the out-side of thehousing. Box |I| is formed with ahorizontal wall |.I2, a vertical backextension I I3 and a vertical side wall I'II having an upper edge I I1angularly disposed to provide an abutment extending at right angles tothe back extension and angularly disposed from the vertical as .bestVillustrated' in-V Fig. r2.

ARemovably secured to the horizontal wall ||2 by a suitable bracket II3and bolt I I4 (Fig. 3) `means is a vertical front wall |I5. Extendinglbetween' the extension |I3 `and the front wall I|5 .isf a horizontallydisposed sleeve I I8 secured .by a bolt ||9 bolted through the extensionand wall disposed in spaced relationship. Rockably carried'y engage with.the edge I I1 on rocking of the ycar-- rier to limit the upwardmovementof the pro-` trudin'g'en-d |23 when not engaged by the door'. Extendingbetween the lower end |22 and the side wall IIB is a tension spring I 25-for` holding the carrier `|20 in a normally forwardly'rocked position..Switch |2| is preferably of the knifebladev type having ia blade |26pivotedqat one end as at` |21 adjacent the pivot pointpof` the carrier|20 with a contact |28v spaced therefrom arid disposedadj acent thelowerendv |22.

Extendingthrough the housing 45 atga point below ,carrier |20 is a`bushing in which' is `rotatably mounted a `control :crankshaft 30.Shaft' |30v is of such length' as to extend from a point `vertical-lyaligned with the release valve stem |05 to a point above wall I I2inside of the control box' ||I. vShaft |30 is `formed with `a cammed end|3I on' which i-s rockably mounted a release bar I|32 engageable withstem |05 to effect operation of release valve 1| 02 onirotation of shaft|30. The release bar |32 is secured against removal by suitable keymeans :as at |33. Release bar I 32 is held against rotation about shaft|30 by an adjustable stop |50 carried by -a ledge I5| attached to aninside wall of housing 45. Secured to the opposite end of shaft I 30 isa control plate |34.

yControl plate |34 is formed generally rectangular in shape with anextended end |35 that protrudes out of the control -box ||I and is'accessible for hand manipulation. The opposite end |36 of the controlplate is apertured to receive a rotatable drilled sleeve |31 interiorlythreaded to receive -a locking `screw I 38 to secure the end |39 of anoperating wire |40 thereto. Wire |40 is slidingly carried in a flexibletube I4| terminatingly secured to horizontal wall I I2 by a suitablethreaded bushing |42. The tube aeemcv.;

|41 is rpreferably filled with oil and' extended un= dergrund to aremote point' such as post |43v located outside of 'the garageorbuilding I3 Aas shovvn in Fig. 1. The extended end of tube |4| isturned upwardly and secured to post |43 by a' bracket |44. terminated ina cap or button |45 formed with an ovehanging skirt |45 that fits overthe end of the tube iM. This construction provides for weatherproong ofthe tube |4| in a readily accessible means for controlling movement ofplate |34 from outside of the building.

Plate |54 is also apertured at a point |41 disposed adjacent the topedge of the plate and is spaced above and toward end |35' to pivotallvmount an arm |48 at one corner of a triangular arrangement of the pivotand lever points' 'asso-- ciated with the plate and effected by shaft|30, plate end |35 and ar'r'ri point |41. The arm |48 is preferablyformed of insulating materialy and etends from point |41 to a pointabove shaft |50 Where it is pivotally connected to the free end |49 ofthe switch blade |26.

Svvitclh |2| is vco'niiecin'ecl in circuit with 'motor 5| by lead |50connected to the blade contact |21, and lead |5| connected to `contact|28, respectively'.

Iii the operation of my device the housing 45 is filled to a point justbelow the motor shaft with suitable oil to operate the system andlubricate the Working parts. Of course the door will be initially in aclosed position as shown in dotted lines of Fig. 1 Which frees carrier|20 to mov'e under urge of spring |25 to a position wherein afin |24engages the bo`X edge ||1 with switch |20 open. Operation is eiected bya person desiring to open door pushing down on either the button |45 orthe plate end |55. Force ap plied at either point is effective to rockplate |34 and sivin'g svvitch blade |26 into engagement with Contact'|28 to close the circuit to motor 5|. Starting of motor 5| pumps fluidfrom the sump 95 through passage 62, tube 86, passage 89, outlets 98and' 99, ducts |08 and |0| to the lift' units 21. The lift units 21 liftthe door to an open position Where the door top' |8 Strikes carried end|23 to r'oek switch |20 s that contact |28 is p'iil'ed away from blade526. The door isl held open by the fluid held in the lift units 21 underpressure by check valve 90.

Closure o'f the door ll is eected byA reverse rocking of plate |34 tooperate shaft |30 to cam# mingly engage release bar |32 with the releasestenti |05. Upy'vard movement o`f stem |05 to unseat the tapered top |06allows for release of fluid through bore |03 allowing the lift units' 21teln/er the' door H'.

The outer end of the Wire |40 is Inasmucli as various embodiments ofthe' preseht invention may be made without departing from the scopethereof,- itis to be understood thatv all matter herein set forth, orshown inthe acs companying` drawings, is to be interpreted asillustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

A hydraulic lift for a pivoted door compris; ing crank means carried bythe door, a hydraulic lift means operatively connected to said crankmeans, a pump means communicating hy# draulic pressure to said 1inmeans, power means' operatively connected to said pump, said pump meanshaving a pressure release valve, switch means in circuit with said powermeans, said svvitch being vroclabl'y supported and rockable from acircuit onnecting position to a circuit disconnecting position, ariextension' member rockable with said svvitch and engageable 'with thedoor'n frivement thereof to an open positie for rocking'- the switch tothe circuit disconnecting -p'o'sii'lior'i, a rdckable lever, earn meanspeiatively Connected to said lever, said cam means being' engageablewith said release valve, conecting means between said lvr and saidsit/'itch for eii'ecting circuit closure of the svv'itcl'i onY roekingof the lever 'in one direction with said cam means 'engageable with saidrelease valve on rocking of said lever in anopposite `direction, and aremotely disposed means' for rocking said lever.

'GEORGE REE.

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